Stowaway Found Alive in Jet's Wheel Well

A nearly frozen stowaway survived subzero
temperatures and little oxygen at 38,000 feet
inside the wheel well of a jumbo jet on an eight-hour flight from
Tahiti.

The 6-foot, 180-pound man, who remains
unidentified, was responding to treatment and communicating with
doctors Friday, but he was covered with gear oil and moaning when
paramedics arrived at Los Angeles International Airport Thursday
night.

His core body temperature was 79 degrees Fahrenheit
when he arrived at the UCLA Medical Center for treatment of
hypothermia and dehydration, hospital spokesman David Langness
said.

With the jet traveling 600 mph at 38,000 feet, the air temperature would have been below zero, “and who
knows with the wind chill,” Langness said.

‘A Remarkable Story’

“His clothes were shredded from the wind, and he was covered
with grease,” he said. “It is a remarkable story. We don’t know
of any other person whose body temperature dropped this low who has
survived.”

Anything below 85 degrees Fahrenheit is usually
fatal, Langness said.

The man was moved Friday afternoon from the intensive care unit
to a hospital ward floor, Langness said.

The man is able to write notes in French and English but
responds indirectly when asked about his identity, Langness said.
He cannot speak, and doctors are still testing his brain and organ
functions.

Air France Flight 71 from Papeete, French Polynesia, arrived in
Los Angeles. At the terminal gate, a maintenance worker spotted a
blanket hanging from a wheel well on the Boeing 747-400 and
notified authorities when he found the man.

Air France Responsible?

An Immigration and Naturalization Service spokeswoman said
Friday that the agency considered Air France still responsible for
the man’s custody.

“This individual, as any individual seeking to enter the United
States, needs to undergo an eligibility investigation,” said
Virginia Kice of the INS’ seven-state western regional office.

“The INS’ first concern is the health and well-being of this
individual,” she said, adding that any Customs inspection or
deportation process would wait until the man’s health was not at
risk.